Bittersweet Symphony
by Different Child
Summary: Hatori is at a loss for personal time. Unfortunately that is nothing new. But one day he got the idea to hire a nurse. The only problem...Akito. Finally he comes down to one last name. What will happen next? [Joint with Animedreamer240]
1. The Final Name

**Greetings o great and wonderful readers!** Before you get all snippy with me, which you have full right to do; my other stories are in progress. I've been in a bit of a slump lately but I am back. This is a joint fic between me and Animedreamer240. It all started from us randomly talking about fun crazy stuff and couples to us deciding to RP. Then we kept rambling on for hours planning and plotting the madness that would ensue. Once we finally got started we were both hooked. So we decided to post this on fanfiction and I volunteered. Enjoy!

* * *

Hatori slumped down in his chair, his irritation from Akito getting the best of him. It was stressful, having to be there for the boy almost every second to wipe the drool from the corner of his mouth. Really, he felt like he was babysitting, and he did have so many important matters at the hospital to tend to. True, he owed his loyalty to Akito and considered him much more important than anything in the world, but he was convinced by many to attempt to get more space. His eyes traveled down a list of names in his notebook of nurses who have come to help out but took their leave. Well, they were all fired by Akito, really. Pleasing him was going to be difficult, Hari knew. Eyes pausing on the last name on the list, he realized there was one name left that hadn't been crossed out.

One name, one string of hope left. He fumbled for his phone and eyed the nurse's number as he dialed. He had hope, he had hope, and he had hope. Hatori took in very deep breaths, causing his face to look slightly flushed as he waited.

Maya was sitting in her house all alone as always. She had no cats, no dogs, no birds, not even a fish. She was literally all alone. She had just come home from another job interview which went horribly. 'You are too personal with your patients. I'm sorry there's just not a place at a hospital like this for someone like you.' That is what they told her. _Well of course I'm personal. How can you help someone if you don't get to know them? Honestly. I don't know. Maybe I should have gone into a different career. There just doesn't seem to be any room for..._Before she could finish her thought the phone rang. "Hello? Sun Maya speaking."

"Good afternoon." Hatori spoke in a very strained, weary voice. He was usually good at keeping it nice when he spoke to someone new over the phone, but today just wasn't his day. "I am Dr. Hatori Sohma; I work at the Shinjuku Hospital. I have your name on a list of nurses who wish to be hired for a full or part time job. Are you still seeking employment?"

She stared at the phone for a moment. _This is amazing timing. Kind of freaky actually._ _I wonder what the catch is if he's asking me. I have to be near the end of a list like that. What is this job and what the hell is going on? _"Yes actually I am. Why do you ask?"

She sounded interested. Hatori couldn't really tell. "Well, that's good" he commented. "I have a part-time job to offer you, and I wonder if you're willing to accept it. I would like you to look after someone important in my family. He falls in and out of illness quite often, therefor he requires much of my time. And I would like some timeto myself occasionally. Does this appeal to you at all?"

_I have to say it. I just have to. I know this could ruin it all but instinct always makes me ask the question._ "What's the catch?" It came out of her mouth before she could honestly stop it. "I'm sorry that just came out."

Hatori was quiet for a moment. The question apparently surprised him and made him think about how to answer. "Why, there is no catch, sorry to disappoint you" he mumbled with slight sarcasm. "Are you currently a student and/or do you have part-time job elsewhere?" he inquired next.

"No I am not and I heard sarcasm in your response to my question. That leads me to believe that there is a catch that you obviously do not wish to disclose."

Hatori couldn't help but be very surprised now. Her tone matched his whenever he talked to Shigure or Aya. "I wouldn't say there is a catch.. You're more than welcome to not accept, and you're more than welcome to leave the job at any time. The boy, Akito, IS difficult to be with at first. That is to beexpected, not everyone is going to be very comfortable being taken care of by another right away. It takes time, and I AM looking for someone who can also tolerate his attitude." Just for safety, Hari looked around him to make sure Akito wasn't wandering around nearby. "I will pay you well. Is this a job you could handle?"

Maya could tell that she had caught him off guard more than once during this conversation. "Hmm...he has an attitude correct? I can deal with that. Define boy. How old is he? And will I have the opportunity to get close to him?" _Pay well? Handle? Wow. This sounds like a job that could prove to be interesting. _"Alright. Just answer my questions and I don't see why I wouldn't take it. Where is it? When do I start? I do need specifics. And would you like me to come over and meet with you and the boy?" As an after thoughtshe added one thing. "By the way I have one more question to ask. She paused letting that sink in. "Does he know about this?"

"One question at a time would be wonderful." he muttered in response. He had a rough day and needed to let things sink in slowly, much more slowly than they were in her head. "Akito is 17 years old. He doesn't attend school. In fact, he rarely leaves the house because of his illness. Oh, and an important fact I cannot leave out.. He IS the head of our family, believe it or not. But sometimes, doctor's orders override his own" he said with a hint of pride in that last bit. "He knows very well. He's probably planning how 'not' to behave as we speak. When you do arrive, it will be your first day of work. I would appreciate it if you could choose your own hours to come everyday of the week and keep them consistent. Holiday and family vacationing are understood, so you can take time off whenever you need to. There will be a contract for the both of us to sign to guarantee my payment to you and your services to Akito. That is all."

"Sorry. Ok. So I will be with him at the house all the time? Hmm...I see. SO if I think that he is doing something that will endanger his health I can stop it? Ha! That's funny. Interesting. When should I come to sign things and such? When shall I start? I see...those times won't be a problem. And I'm assuming that you haven't had time to check me out since I was your last resort. Am I correct? So tell me. When do you want me to come over and sign this stuff?"

Hatori sighed. "Tomorrow at noon, we can settle this over a lunch, my treat. After we talk a few things over you're welcome to work right away. I can fax you my address if you have a fax machine." he mentioned.

"You can just give it to me over the phone. I'll meet you there tomorrow at noon. And I think I will start right away. That makes things more interesting. Anything else I need to know?"

Wow, and usually Hatori was the one to be to the point here. "Yes, I can give it to you over the phone. Are you ready to receive the directions?

"You didn't answer my question and yes I am."

Hatori grunted. "Today isn't my day, please understand. I apologize. I do not think there is anything else you need to know. Do you have anymore questions?"

"I understand. It's fine. Relax a little. Alright. No I don't have any more questions. Once I get the address I'll be good."

"All right then." After that, Hatori gave her the complete address. "Just by talking to you now I can tell that you are the perfect candidate. Thank you for your time and I will see you tomorrow."

"You're Welcome. And no one is perfect." With that she hung up and plopped down into her chair. _I will start tomorrow. I will talk with this Akito. I mean we obviously have something in common if nothing else right? Neither of us has a life..._

* * *

**So** **there you have it.** The prologue of our wonderful story. There is a whole two more chapters already written and ready to be posted so the more the reviews the faster the update. Not to mention we get so much done each time we RP.

A little note here is that the entire time she's speaking she puts her last name before her first name. I hope no one got confused. Thank you all for reading and here's a note from my co author:

_Hi hi this is Animedreamer240 you guys! For some of you who have been reading my other stories, I do plan to continue them. I'm recovering from a long-term writers block, and writing a joint fic just might help me out here. At any rate I hope you continue to read. Please leave good reviews!_

Ttfn...ta ta for now.


	2. Greetings

**And it goes on...**The madness continues. Akito is going to meet his new nurse. Just imagine people...

* * *

Maya was walking to the address on paper and somehow wasn't shocked when she arrived at the Sohma compound. The only thing that confused her was how to get in. _I figured they were a ritzy family. I mean he did say "Head of the Family" and all. That gave it away. But damn. This place is huge. They must be a huge family. But how do I get in to see this doctor?_

It was as if it was Momiji's cue to guide people when they were lost around there. He popped up out of no where. "Hi there! You must be the person Hari's been talking about all morning!" the young boy chimed. "Come right in! Hari'll give you a key to the gate later today because you'll be needing one." he laughed, now starting to open the gate from the other side. 'I'll show you where Hari is! OH but I didn't even introduce myself! I'm Momiji Sohma!"

She cocked her head to the side and laughed. _I like this kid...ok I am being a bit of a hypocrite but still. He's funny._ "I'm Maya. Thank you. Ok. And has he really been talking about me all morning?" She asked as she walked along following Momiji.

"Oh yes!" he said. "He's really happy that he found someone like you to help watch over Akito! In fact he's thrilled! Hey when you meet him, he might look kind of dull and unexcited, but don't let that fool you, he's really excited, okay? You're warmly welcomed here!" he chimed, leading her to a house that was sort of in the back a bit.

She just couldn't stop laughing. "You are the friendliest kid I think I've ever met. You don't seem to have a limit to your energy level. So answer this: how old are you?"

"Huh? Oh, I'm 15!" he replied, now spreading his arms wide as he balanced on his toes. "Hari's right inside there!" he said. "Don't be shy, Hari can seem a little intimidating sometimes, but that's just him being dull!"

She smiled. "I knew you were older than you looked. Ok. Thanks." She laughed again. _Dull huh? I bet when he sees me I will see some non-dullness. He'll have to react...well if he guesses or if I tell him my age. Either way. Here I go_. She walked into Ha'ri's office slipping her shoes off as she did so. "Hi there. My name is Maya. You must be Dr. Sohma. Pleasure to meet you." She extended her hand for Hatori to shake.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Hatori turned around and eyed her dully, looking just the way Momiji described him. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Maya." he replied, reaching for her hand and shaking it very firmly. "You're a very young lady. Younger than I expected." Yeah, he had to give her a comment like that. Remember when he told Tohru she looked like an ordinary girl?

She gave him an extra firm grip. "Thanks. That's always nice to hear. I'm still 16. I will be 17 soon. Few weeks or so. Is that going to be a problem?" Maya asked looking innocent, yet mischievous at the same time.

Hatori did look a bit surprised to hear that. The dullness almost escaped out of Hari's expression. "...Ah, I see..." he finally said. "No, it won't be a problem...It's just that you will be the youngest nurse I have hired yet for Akito. Maybe younger is good." he said thoughtfully.

"I saw that. Surprise. That generally is part of the problem. Really?" It was her turn to look surprised. "Younger is better hmm? And why might that be doctor?" She spoke playfully.

"Well, considering the other nurses were as old as I was...and none of them worked well with Akito...Perhaps he may be able to get along with someone closer to his age..." Hatori wasn't sure if he believed that, but it was the only thing he could think of to say. "Right to the point then? The contract?" he said, heading over to his desk to get it.

"Old now were they?" She winked teasing. "But you can't be more than thirty at the oldest. So you're probably late twenties. "But I guess that might make sense. I like to get close to my patients." Then she dropped her voice. "If I ever had one." But raised it just as quickly as she lowered it. "Anyhow yes. Contract."

Hatori handed it to her along with a nice fancy pen that most of the nurses tried to keep. And the pay, well, it was beyond wonderful really. But so many nurses wished for higher because Akito was that much of a pain to them. "You may use my desk to write on if you like."

Thank you." She looked it over thoroughly and asked him what seemed like fifty thousand questions and some of them didn't seem to have a purpose or even make sense but she understood every word. Finally..."Any questions for me? After all of my questions?"

Hatori blinked at her. There was noticeably one difference between them. "No." he replied dryly. "Except, do you wish to meet Akito now? He's currently in his room lying down."

"That would be nice." She signed the contract and got up. "Which way do we go? You lead."

Hatori cleared his throat and walked in front of her. "This way then." He continued down the hall and finally reached Akito's room in which the door was closed. The moment he opened it there came a huge grunting sound.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

The young boy could be seen lying on the hardwood floor, and he was shivering. "Ooooooh..." Akito moaned again as if he had a stomach ache of some sort. "Hatori, you treat me so badly... Is the new person here yet?" he mumbled, pretending to be in pain. Well, Hatori could tell at least.

"Yes she's here, and she's going to introduce herself to you." he said, his eyes darting to the young girl now.

"I am Sun Maya sir. And I will be your new nurse. If I might ask is something wrong? Do you have a stomach ache or something of the sort? I know something that might help." She smiled. Well if he's going to fake it he's going to get something he didn't bargain for.

Akito didn't roll around to look at her, he obviously didn't want to. That or he was pretending to be too hurt. He was quiet for a moment. Hm, her voice did seem a bit, well, young and sweet. Too much like Tohru's to be exact. "Why can't Hatori do it? He's the one who DID this to me."

Hatori's face faltered. He hadn't been the target when the other nurses came, so this was unexpected a bit. "Akito-sama...With all due respect, please tell me what I have done-"

"Oooooooh... If only I could be covered up warmly...If only I had something soft to rest against...If only I was fed regularly!" Akito snapped before doubling over in fake pain again.

"..." Hatori was at a loss for what to say. This wasn't something Akito usually did. It just didn't make sense.

"I'm so sorry sir. Please let me help. That's what I'm here for. I have something that tastes wonderful that should make it stop hurting. That and maybe if you would allow me to get some food for you. Please?" She bent down and mixed a little drink right in front of Hatori's eyes. "Here sir. Your doctor saw me make this. It should fix your stomach right up. But I should warn you. I do specialize in unconventional medicine." She went over to Akito and bowed, getting down on her knees in front of him with her head down, offering the drink to him as though he were a king...or more.

"Oh...I haven't gotten this kind of treatment in years..." Akito said in a this-is-about-time voice. He took the drink and sipped it with pleasure. "Mmmmm Hatori can you EVER do anything so simple for me?"

Hatori just watched. This was certainly a turn in Maya's personality; just maybe she could get manipulated by Akito to kill him because he has treated him so 'badly. "...I see everything is all right then.." He spoke quietly before turning around and leaving to his office where he could be safely locked up. _I wonder if I should be worried..._

"Is it to your liking sir? I hope so. You should feel the effects in minutes sir. It may make you a tad bit drowsy but that is all. Is there anything else I can do for you Akito-sama?" She smiled on the inside but kept a straight face outward_. She could play poker like nobody's business. Maybe I should tell him...Nah...he'll find out soon enough._

A few minutes later Akito's stomach started hurting. The pain was excruciating. Practically unbearable…even for him.

"Holy crap!" Just as the slightest bit of pain hit him, he sat up and embraced his stomach tightly, only to fall right over again. His widened eyes darted to his new nurse. "What the-what the hell?" Then the pain got worse and worse until it was indeed 'excruciating'. He couldn't bring himself to talk, the tears were spilling out of his eyes, and he was bawling like a complete baby. 'Hatori help me! Hatori HELP me! I take it back!' he screamed in his mind, praying to god that Hatori had telepathy too.

"Akito-sama what's wrong?" The only way that would hurt you is if you weren't in pain before. But you would never fake it would you? That would be an important thing to tell me. But I should get your doctor to take you to the hospital. But if you were faking it then I could just give you something else but...no. I'll go get Dr. Sohma. Anything you think I should know before I go?" _This will teach him._

Akito tried to talk to her but he just couldn't. He was being swallowed up in his own sea of tears right now. Yeah, he did want Hatori with him, he didn't want to be alone with this girl, but did he want to go to the hospital? No. Akito rocked his body back and forth, trying to cope with the pain. It was starting to alleviate already, but he wasn't realizing that just yet.

"I'll go get Dr. Sohma. I promise I'll be right back! I promise." She ran to Hatori's office and knocked rapidly on the door while trying to contain her laughter. Once she left Akito her serious/worried act wasn't kept up. "Hatori-san please open the door. Please. I don't think I can hold it much longer. I-" she burst out laughing.

Well, it wasn't like Hatori could concentrate when he had five minutes of peace and quiet earlier. He was thinking too much about this girl, about Akito, what they were already doing...Upon hearing the rapid knocking, he rose out of his chair and headed to the door with haste. "What happened?" he asked the instant he opened the door. "What.." He watched her laugh.

"It's...Akito" she began between laughs. "I gave him something for his stomach. But the thing is it's hurting him now." She laughed even harder. "I knew he couldn't resist it presented like that. So I gave it to him." She continued laughing. "The pain will subside soon enough. If he had been in pain he would have felt better but since he wasn't...he got pain. O." She wiped her eyes because she was laughing so hard. "Ok. I'm calm. I'm calm. O. Ok. You should go pretend to be concerned. I told him unless he was faking it which he would "never do" he'd have to go to the hospital. But that's not true. O. Wow."

"Yes...Wow..." Hatori muttered dryly, hardly finding this humorous to begin with. "I don't pretend, and I pray that you will be serious like you're supposed to on a job, especially one that pays you this well. I have expectations of you." And then, as he turned his back to her, he sort of smirked. "Is that all you wanted to tell me? You should hurry back and see if Akito needs you."

She stood up straight now and so became her expression. "I think this will teach him a lesson. And I think you need to learn to live a little. So forgive me for thinking he needed a taste of his own medicine! I think I will if that's your attitude. Honestly you adults are so serious. Isn't that something he would do though?" She asked with a smirk as she ran back to Akito putting on her "worried" face.

Akito looked like he was dead already. The pain subsided by now, true, but he felt like he was truly dying now. He was sweating terribly, and his hair was very messy, not to mention he looked tangled up in his robe. When he heard the girl's footsteps approach the room, he turned his face towards the doorway so he could see her. There was a sparkle of hate in his eyes. "Because of you... I am dying faster..."

She dropped the act. "Look. You're not dying at all. You just feel like it. There are side effects because you were faking it. At most it will subside within a few hours. Probably only one. I just wanted to teach you a lesson. I don't take shit. You DO NOT fake sick with me. I take my job very seriously. I don't care who you are. But if I am here to take care of you then Damnit I expect you to be honest with me. Now cut the crap and drink this," she pulled out a vial and put it into the cup, "I promise you that this time there are no tricks. This will make you feel truly better within less than half the time it would take to go away on its own. Ok? Now drink." She went over, held him up a bit and coaxed it down his throat. "There we go. Now give in to the herbs and go to sleep. When you wake up we're gonna have a long talk. K? Nighty Night. Sleep well Akito."

* * *

Yay! That was awesome. We already had this part done.That's why the faster update. Never can promise how quickly it will come. O welly.

Animedreamer240 says thanks and please review!

See you all again soon!


	3. Discussion

With that Akito fell asleep and all the servants in the house were stunned. No one ever talked to Akito like that. NO ONE. She yelled so loudly that even Hatori could hear every word she said loud and clear. It was obvious this woman meant business and couldn't be chased away. No. This one was here to stay.

* * *

A few hours later, perhaps around 5 in the afternoon, Akito awakened to find his once sick little body feeling better than ever. But his new nurse, well, she kept that dark cloud over Akito's mind. He thought of so many nasty thoughts concerning her just as he woke up, and absent-mindedly mumbled some aloud. He sat up, a warm blanket sliding off of his arms. When his faced turned to eye the rest of the room, he could see her, but his vision was still a bit blurry from sleep, so he couldn't tell what she was doing. "I had eight fricken nightmares about you," he spat out. 

"Really" she asked. "Care to share? O hold that thought. You need to eat dinner. Here," She walked over with dinner and placed it on a tray in front of him. She checked his forehead for fever but found none. She took his wrist to check his pulse and found it to be satisfactory. She smiled. "Alright. Just bear with me a moment. I need to listen to your breathing before you eat."

Akito stared at her like she was crazy. "Who the hell do you think you are? What if I'm not hungry, just what do you think you can do about it? Don't tell me you have a painful potion that can starve Me" he muttered.

She smiled. "Breathe in please. I wasn't kidding when I said I took my job seriously. I do. Breathe out. Good. You seem to be doing quite well. And your heart." She listened just to be sure. "Is also functioning properly. Now eat." She looked at him with honest concern in her eyes. "Please."

Akito noticed that she changed outfits into something much more conservative. Long pants and a nice long sleeved shirt. Her hair was pulled back. It was all function and not fashion. This didn't exactly make her appear the most attractive.

"I'm dying and you can't even tell? What kind of nurse are you? Like hell I'm going to eat anything you give me. How do I know I can trust you? I can't." Then he paused, noticing the compassion in her eyes, which just about made him sick. "Stop staring at me like that, you'll make me gag all over your nursey-outfit."

"You aren't dying actually. You're in the best health of your life. I've read your charts. Hatori is quite the thorough physician. That helps. I can see why he needed a break. You should be fine at least for the moment. Speaking of which you really should just live in the moment. Try to enjoy life while you're here. I don't care if you get my clothes dirty. They are just clothes. They can be washed and replaced. People can't. Now please eat."

That sounded like the most idiotic thing Akito ever heard, to enjoy life here, for her not to care if her clothes get dirty. How idiotic. "How can you tell me to enjoy life here in this room? Does this look like a fun park to you" he questioned, his voice rising with anger. He didn't dare touch his food. "And are you meaning to tell me Hatori has been lying to me all these years? I AM dying! Are you calling me delusional? It's a fact, but oh, I guess it's all right you think I'm fine; after all, I have plenty of secrets that I will not permit you to find out. Secrets that me, Hatori, and everyone else in MY family know."

"Because I can. And that's what I believe. That's how I can say this. And it does not look like a "fun park" to me. Maybe we should liven up this room a bit. Ever considered that?" She posed a good question. Had he ever considered that? "You really should eat. And no. He hasn't been lying to you. You were. The medicine I gave you actually helped you. Your body reminds me of other diseases. It's not the disease/illness itself that you die from. It's the little things you get from having a weaker immune system. What I gave you helped strengthen your immune system. And well, maybe, on the delusional part." She added with a twisted little smile. "But you are fine at the moment. And please. I know more than you think. I did some research when Hatori called me. And I remembered some things from when I was younger. I have secrets too. Plenty of them. Ones that YOU won't ever know. I DO know about your curse, I already found out, and I'm 16 years old. NOW EAT!" She said, yelling the last part.

Akito looked at her in a shocked manner. He couldn't believe it. The boy sat there for a while, looking ultimately shocked, and he could have blabbered on about how he wouldn't allow her to know. Did she also know Hatori could erase her memories? Because THAT was happening next. "Don't raise your voice at me; I'm a GOD here, so TREAT me like one. I won't eat until you say you're sorry for acting like you own my house."

"I know what you're thinking and it's not going to happen. I'm not telepathic or anything but I can tell by the look on your face. I will do as I wish. You are definitely not a God. You are a person. Just born to privilege. But I am sorry if you got the impression that I thought that I owned your house. Because I don't. Now please. Eat."

_Honestly. This is trying already. But I don't ever just give up. I just don't know. I'm being myself with him but he seems to bring out my attitude and my temper when I try to be nice. I am here to care for him and I don't want to have to force things. But I can and I will if it comes to that. I am just trying to give him the option to go with the lesser of two evils but that's not happening anytime soon I get the feeling._

Akito shot her another hateful look, only this was the deepest one yet. He could order Hatori around; he could still tell her to erase her memories. He'd have to listen, right? _What, just because she knows everything means she's invincible?_ Akito would find her weakness; he could find Anyone's weakness... "No."

"No what?"

"I'm not going to eat, that's what."

"Fine. If you don't I won't. Then you won't have anyone to take care of you."

"I don't care if you're here and if you starve to death. I'm not going to eat something from someone I don't trust."

"Fine. But I made this for you. I'll just leave it here and go home. I will see you here tomorrow morning? Hmm? And I still won't eat until I know you do. And I can go several days without food. I will also leave you my cell phone number. "She pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket and put it into his hand. "So if you need me you can call me. Anytime. No matter what. Even if I'm off. You can just want to talk or anything. Alright? Well until tomorrow. Goodbye." Maya walked out the door and headed to Hatori's office to inform him she was leaving for the day. She knock, knock, knocked on the door.

"I don't need your fricken number!" he shouted, even after she left. Akito ripped the paper up and kept on doing it until the pieces were too tiny. "Please, you think I'd need YOU? So what are you God, hm? You think you're someone special? Well you're NOT." He went on for another few minutes, talking aloud to the wall.

* * *

Hatori got up and headed to the door at his own pace this time. He opened it up and saw just whom he expected to see. 

"I'm heading home for the evening. I'll see you tomorrow when I come? O and is there any dress code or anything I need to know about?" She asked standing there in the outfit she had on with Akito when he awoke, rather than the outfit she had on when she arrived.

Hatori was fairly pleased, even if his expression didn't change. "You look just fine. There is no dress code unless Akito says there is" he replied. "So how did your first day go so far? Still all laughs for you" he asked, nearly smirking in front of her.

"I take my job very seriously. It may not seem like it but I do. I just have my own way of doing things. May I come in for a few minutes to speak with you? Professionally and personally about all this?"

"Of course." he said. "I anticipated that you would want to have a talk with me after your first attempt to take care of Akito. It's not an easy task, I'm certain you know that by now" he added, taking a few steps back to allow her inside. "Please, take a seat. So tell me everything."

"I know about the curse. Don't ask me how. We'll get to that later. I think that this will be a challenge but I'm up for that. He needs to know he's not a god. He's human. Just like everybody else, well so to speak. He is actually physically doing better and I don't think he knows what to do with himself because of that. But I think it was a good choice hiring someone close to his age. But no normal 16 year old could handle him. But I'm not normal." She paused for a moment, put her hand to her head, put it down, and then continued. "Sorry tired. But anyhow. I'm not normal. Because of his illness Akito never really experienced a "normal" childhood. Neither did I. So we can relate in that area. That's part of why I try to bring that into my work. A sense of humor, smiles, and fun despite it all. You can be lighthearted or appear to be so and still be serious about your job. Listen. I want to help brighten up his room a little. He has nothing in it. It shouldn't be so bare. No wonder he hates it. I'm going to try some things tomorrow that might help a little. And I never said everything was ALL laughs. But on days when he's up for it I intend to have him leave his room. Otherwise he might never learn some things. I just want him to be able to smile. I don't mean sick, sadistic, twisted smile. I mean happy, even a little, sort of smile. He needs to learn to live in the moment. That way he can have at least some fun. Ya know?"

_And I'm just waiting for my name to ring a bell. I know it will. I figure I've got a couple minutes at the most before it clicks with him. I mean hello?! He's a doctor. He is also at the age where he might not remember famous people from that time but...here it probably comes. O well. At least Akito doesn't know. That's what matters most._

It was a few minutes before Hatori could respond to her at all. Well, more like six minutes because he had to take in everything and think it through before saying anything. This was the type of person Akito needed, and he knew it. She was the type of person they all needed, she could do things Tohru couldn't. But she wasn't an invincible being. She could very well break, make a mistake, or...or get hurt…"Maya..." he said very quietly. "I wish for change in Akito as well. But he is our God. To us he is God, despite how he acts. He is our God, do you understand?" His tone was almost annoyed.

"Nothing will change that. We take orders from him and we best not go against them unless we are merely looking out for his safety and health. I hired you to take care of him, meaning, he meets his basic needs everyday. But if you're planning to change him inside and out...well I advise you don't rush it. I agree, he needs change...But be careful. If he says you're fired, you are fired. Honestly, I think he can use a person like you. All of us. But it's going to take a while for us to adjust to each other first..." Then he paused. "I want to see him smile too... A real smile...But understand my great concern and hope." And the thing about her being famous...well it didn't click. "But I am curious. What makes you not a normal 16 year old girl?"

* * *

**A/N: **Hey guys! I totally spaced and forgot I had this much seperated for a chapter. Ahh. Please forgive me! I've been so spacey lately. But I love you all!! More will come sooner for this. And then other updates for other stories will come too! Thank you all for being so patient with me!! You rock! 


End file.
